


Escapee

by 200hennry200



Category: Fallout (Video Games), Fallout 4
Genre: Apocalypse, Commonwealth, Crimes & Criminals, Gen, Puzzles, Reborn - Freeform, Synth, Treasure Hunting, Wasteland, false
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-06-21
Updated: 2018-06-29
Packaged: 2019-05-26 13:25:50
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,303
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15001826
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/200hennry200/pseuds/200hennry200
Summary: X3-54 is the creation of humans. Born to serve the people who brought her to life. She's a machine, yet has memories that are not her own. Programmed to follow orders; yet her thoughts and questions go against them.Warning:: CONTAINS SPOILERS FOR THE FALLOUT 4 GAME!Disclaimer:: I do not own any original content of the Fallout Franchise! X3-54 is mine though.





	1. Awaken

I wake up to silence. Looking around, I find myself trapped in some kind of container with a glass door separating me from the outside world. Eerie, dim lights are the only way I can see the metal and glass container surrounding me. The world is tainted a light blue, most likely from the artificial light sources. Outside the glass there are more chambers like my own. Some appear empty. But some have shadowed figures within them.  
Without warning, there are red lights flashing from above and blaring sirens. The glass door opens, allowing me to take my first wobbly steps out into the world. I quickly get the hang of walking, but despite my own confidence, the people running towards me yell otherwise.  
“Stop!” The man and woman in white jackets yell as they run towards me. “Just wait, slow down. Let us help you.”  
I blink a few times and look around again. The long, darkening hall feels never-ending. Chamber after chamber of people lining the metal walls. I look back at the two people stopping beside me, panting heavily from the sprinting. The girl pushes her glasses back up and scribbles something on her clipboard. “She seems to be walking okay. Doesn’t seem like she’ll need assistance at all.”  
“What a great start indeed.” The man smiles and wipes off his forehead with the sleeve of his lab coat. “Hello, X3-54.” He holds out his hand, which is covered in oil and electrical burns. I take it gently and shake it.  
“X3-54..? That’s me?” I look at my hands and the skin-tight jumpsuit I’m wearing. The pure white fabric marked with dark blue lines. “Where am I?” I look at the scientists again, still confused.  
“We will get to that.” The woman says with a smile before scribbling more on a piece of paper. “My name is Dr. Annabell. I am the head scientist in our robotics research compartment.”  
“And my name is Dr.Drakel, but most just call me Drake. I am the director of synth production in the Institute.”  
“The Institute?” I say it slowly and look around. “That’s where I am… The Institute.”  
“Yes. You are correct.” Annabell agrees. “Follow us and you will figure out more of what’s going on. Okay?”  
I gulp a little before nodding and following them up the vacant hall, our footsteps clanking on the metal floors and causing rippling echoes through the dimness. “Are those all people in those canisters?”  
“Not living people. They are synths, just like you.” Drake answers dully, as though he has answered that same question too many times before.  
“Synth? I don’t understand what you mean. You had mentioned it earlier as well.”  
“You’ll understand soon enough, young one.” Annabell laughs quietly to herself. “All will be clear some time soon.”  
I stop in my tracks, prepared to say more but when they look back at me I shut my mouth. Unable to think through what I really wanted to say I remain quiet as I follow them down the pathway and around several corners. This maze-like place feels compacted, yet vast. I could easily get lost on my own if I wasn’t following the two scientists. We pass some people dressed like me, in white jumpsuits with dark blue lines and marks. But the people like me, the synths, don’t look very happy. They’re all doing typical chores, like washing the floors and tables. “Am I going to be working like that too..?”  
“Potentially. It all depends.” Annabell answers casually, as though it’s no big deal.  
“But what if I don’t want to do what you tell me to?”  
Drake stops and turns around. “Don’t even think about that. You were created to serve humans, not to think such silly things. Whatever we tell you, don’t question it.”  
“Perhaps something in her programming is glitched.” Annabell suggests while she busily writes more. “We will have to take a look in her head.”  
“Yes. We need to figure out where these kind of things pop up. It seems to be appearing in many other models, perhaps we can bring an end to such things.”  
I take a few steps back, starting to truly fear for my fate. “Look inside my head..? What do you mean by glitched programming?”  
“Perhaps it has to do with the personality and memories we programmed in.”  
They seemed to be in their own world, ignoring my frantic questions. I look around me in an attempt to find an exit, but the winding halls appear much too complicated for me to find my way out. If there even is a way out. Another person approaches me, who I can assume to be another ‘synth’ based on the fact that he has the same one piece outfit I do. “Hello. I am X2-55. You must be new.” His voice was scratchy, as though coming from a broken record. “What is your name?”  
His eyes appear human, yet, lifeless. Hopeless. It feels as though he isn’t really look at me, but rather, simply observing. Not truly paying attention to the conversation he had just started. So automated. Programming.. “Why do you appear so frightened? We are safe here.”  
“X2-55. Go back to work. She is not of your concern.” I feel a hand on my shoulder and look to my left to see Drake standing beside me. He looks down at me with a soul-crushing glare. “And you, X3-54, need to come with us right away. Do not even think of wandering off. I can already tell you are going to be quite troublesome.”  
“Let’s take her to the room and get a peek in her head.” The other doctor suggests.  
“I want an explanation first.” I turn to them, my hands curled into fists. “I want to know really what’s going on around here!”  
“We will tell you everything, just calm down and come with us.” Annabell smiles and takes me by the hand, leading me away again with Drake following closely.  
I can feel those piercing blue eyes in my back as I am half dragged past several rooms and up a winding staircase.

“You are a synth. To be specific, synth X3-54. The one before you was X3-53, who mostly works in the mines. We already know you will not be joining them.” Drake explains with his monotone voice as Annabell seats me in the lone chair in the middle of the room. A spotlight turns on above me, making me flinch. “Don’t be so jumpy. You’re safe here, along with all the other synths. However many others don’t seem to realize that either. Annabell, get the tools to crack into her skull. I want to see what’s going on in there.”  
“But we haven’t fully explained everything, we said we would-”  
“I don’t care. My goal is produce generation four synths that don't want to escape god damn it! She could have the answer as to why this keeps happening!”  
“Generation four synths..? What does that mean?” I look at Annabell, trusting her to answer more than Drake.  
“There are four kinds of synths. Gen one, two, three, and four. There is a fifth kind called Coursers, but it is most likely that you won’t ever meet one. You are of the fourth gen. They are the most human like, but they are also the most likely to rebel against the Institute.”  
“Why would they want to..?”  
“Don’t ask such a stupid question.” Drake scolds me. “Those kind of questions aren’t helping nothing to stop it!”  
I gulp and look at the floor, becoming quiet.  
“Drake, such attitude is not necessary.” Annabell walks over and pushes him away from me. “How about you go get the tools. Let me talk to her.”  
“Fine.” He scowls and leaves the room. “I’ll be right back.” The door closes and I look up at Annabell, her dark hazel eyes looking down at me too.  
“He’s being a bit bitter about the escaped synths. It’s not your fault.”  
“Escaped?”  
“They decided to try to make it out in the Commonwealth. Our Coursers are out hunting them down and the people who have helped them escape.”  
“Commonwealth?”  
“That’s the world above us. The Institute is under the ground of the Commonwealth. Above ground is dangerous, full of radiation and crazy people.”  
“Crazy people who help them escape..?”  
“Well also people who will shoot everyone on sight. Raiders, ghouls, super mutants, and even worse.”  
I blink a few times and look around the room. “So you people are down here to escape all of that?”  
“Yes. We have clean food, water, shelter, and anything else we could ever want.” She smiles and moves some hair out of my face. “You are safe here, trust me. You and everyone else.”  
I relax a bit and nod. “Okay. So what did you two mean by ‘peeking into my head’? Does it mean something other than what I think it means?”  
“Well, no. We are going to open your skull. But you’ll only feel a little pain. Once we are in we can stop the pain at the source while we dig around.”  
“That’s not comforting…” I get up and walk around the little room. I pick up a pen off the metal desk opposite of the door we had come in through. “What were you writing earlier? On your clipboard you have.”  
“Just some notes on your conditions, your speaking and walking abilities, for example.”  
“So you were just recording your observations..”  
“Yes-”  
“Like I’m just some kind of experiment to you…”  
She gives me a shocked look. “No, that’s not what I meant! We only want the best for you, X3-54! We just need to make sure you are functioning at full capacity.”  
“Then why look into my head if I am functioning properly?”  
“That’s for another reason. One we cannot fully explain to you.”  
“Why not?”  
“It’s classified work. We cannot let you know everything about us. It’s risky.”  
I sigh and look at the pen in my hand before sitting at the desk and drawing on a yellow folder, easily gliding the pen across the thick paper as though my body knew how to by memory. I don’t really pay attention to what I’m drawing until I realize what I’m doing. “I don’t remember knowing how to draw..” I look up at Annabell, who has been watching me the entire time.  
“It must be a part of the personality we had programmed into you.”  
“You mean my entire being is just.. A program?” I look at the cat I had doodled and then back at her. “I’m just a machine you people manipulated into existence…”  
“Well you don’t have to describe it so harshly!” Drake’s voice shouts from the door. “Yes we created you, your personality, everything but that’s not a bad thing.”  
“What exactly does it mean to be a synth? What is a synth?”  
“Synths are artificial humans. Androids, is another term too.”

I’ve heard that word before.. Android. So familiar yet the memory seems so distant.

“So I’m a robot. A creation of humans, not actually one of them.”  
“Yes. Now go back into your seat.” Drake points me back to the spinny chair under the spotlight. “And hurry up. We don’t have all day.”  
“But I don’t want you in my head..” I get up and glare a them both. “I don’t care if it’s painless, I care about how you guys will be digging around in my brain!”  
“You don’t have a brain, X3-54. You have parts. Mechanisms.” Drake explains with another scowl on his face. “We just need to make sure you’re not broken.”  
“I’m not broken!”  
“Drake, just use the deactivation code.” Annabell sighs. “I know you’ll have to do more work but at least then she will cooperate properly.”  
I gulp and sprint for the door, quickly making my way out and heading anywhere I can to hide. “Psst!” A voice whispers down a bright, vacant hall. I slowly walk towards the voice and find myself in a storage room. In front of me stands a human wearing leather and metal armor. “What is your name?”  
“Uhh… X3-54.”  
“You’re new. Patriot didn’t mention you when we went over the thirteen who did want to escape.” The blond woman smiles kindly and holds out her hand. “I’ll help you out. I’m friends with some people who can help you.”  
“Who are you..?”  
“You can just call me Blade. I’m from the Commonwealth.” She moves her hand closer to encourage me to take it. “I am secretly working with a group of people called the Railroad. We free synths. If you need help, take it now. Neither of us want to know what will happen if they catch you.”  
I nod and take her hand. “Please. Get me out of here.”  
Blade nods and look at the large screen on her left wrist. “Pipboy. Old North Church. Fast Travel. Now.”


	2. Train Tracks

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Warning:: CONTAINS SPOILERS FOR THE FALLOUT 4 GAME!   
> Disclaimer:: I do not own any original content of the Fallout Franchise!   
> X3-54 is the only character that is mine!

When I open my eyes we are in front of a decrepit, brick building. A red, white, and blue piece of fabric hangs from the roof in a decorative fashion. “Where are we?” I look at the woman beside me. “Is this what they called “the Commonwealth”?”   
“Yep. Welcome to the surface.” She smiles and looks down at me with glittering green eyes. “They will get you dressed in something other than that jumpsuit.” The sunlight made her golden hair sparkle and shine. I couldn’t help but to become speechless. “Come on, follow me.” She walks up to the white door and opens it, causing paint flakes to fall off to reveal the hard wood below it. “And please hurry, before we are seen.”  
“R-right.” I run after her into the church, which is dimly lit by sunlight beaming in through holes in the roof.   
Pews, both standing and broken, sit in the middle of a large room. A wide row separating two sections of pews leads up to a stage where a large cross lays broken on the floor. Above us is a balcony where more red, white, and blue decorations hang. Blade quietly leads me to the right side of the building, only to open another door. We begin descending down the creaking stairs, darkness engulfing us once the door is closed. There is green light just at the end of the stairs, omitted by a small cluster of mushrooms.   
“Why are those mushrooms glowing..?” I give the woman saving me a confused look as we stop by them. “That’s not normal.”  
“It is now.” She grabs a handful and lets her giant computer-watch scan them, only to make them vanish into thin air. “They are a radioactive fungus. Very common out here in the commonwealth. If you eat them you can recover from injuries faster, however, sometimes it’s not a good idea to be taking in even more radiation. Now follow me. The Railroad is at the end of these catacombs.” She leads me along the pathways, following white symbols painted on the brick walls. A think layer of water has formed on the floor, causing our footsteps to echo the slashing. As if our walking isn’t already loud enough. “I have a companion here too. You’ll like him I think.” She mentions as we stroll along the halls. “His name is Dogmeat.”  
“Who gave him that name?”  
“I did. I found him wandering alone at a gas station and decided to take him alone. He’s a great dog. He loves anyone who pets him.” Blade smiles when she hears barking. “Sounds like he heard us coming. Dogmeat! Come here boy!”  
A little further along a german shepherd dog bounds over to us, barking at his owner. Right off the bat he comes up to me, sniffing me as though to make sure I’m no threat. “H-hi, Dogmeat.” I shakily hold out a hand to let him smell me. “Good, good boy..” I close my eyes only open them again when the dog licks my fingers.  
“Awe! He likes ya!” Blade chuckles. “Go on, pet him. He won’t bite!”  
I hesitate but then carefully put my hand on the dog’s head. As I drag my hand on his soft fur I can’t help but smile. Something about petting this dog was so familiar, but the memories are hazy at best.   
“See, told ya you would like him. Now come on, you’ve got more people to meet.”  
“How many of you guys are there?”  
“Let’s just say a lot. That’s a question for Des.”   
I follow her and Dogmeat along again until we read a large room. Tables and shelves line the walls, covered in random stuff. People are scurrying around the room busily but in the center is a woman standing next to a round counter. Her bright orange hair makes her stand out in the dark room. “I’m guessing that’s Des.”  
“Yup. I need to go talk to someone first. Come meet Tom.” Blade walks past the center round-table and over to a messy corner. “Hey Tom. I need you to sharpen up my weapon.”   
“Well hey Blade how’d the Courser hunt go?” The thin-limbed man turns to us and smiles. “I’m guess as good as the last ones.” When he sees me he pauses and runs up to me. “Well hello, you must be a friend of Blade’s! If Blade trusts you I’ll sure as hell trust you too!” He holds out his bony hand for my to shake.  
I blankly stare at him for a moment. The helmet on his hair has been added onto so much it barely looked as though it could provide any protection. It also appeared much too big for his head, too heavy for his skinny neck to hold up. “Uhh… Thanks..?”  
“Certainly a shy one. But I don’t blame you for being hesitant to trust someone.” Tom chuckled and looked back to Blade. “Now what did you need?”  
“Sharpen my sword.” The blond woman takes a long, serrated sword from her holster. The blade of the weapon is a solid three feet long, splattered with thick blood both fresh and dried. “We have a lot to do so ya better hurry.”  
“Well sure!” Tom takes the weapon in hand and walks over a sharpening wheel beside his desk.   
Blade looks down at me with her dazzling green eyes and smiles. “While he’s doing that, let’s go to Des. I have to report everything to her.” She takes my hand and leads me towards the door we came in through. The thickly built woman with vibrant orange hair looks up when we walk over. “Des, I’m back from the Institute.”  
“How did it go?”  
“Smoothly. Everything is going according to plan. Saun knows I have had contact with you though... “  
“Is it going to cause any problems?” Des gives Blade a concerned look. “And not just with the plans, but, with you personally? I’m worried about the synths but I gotta worry about you too.”  
“I’m okay. He doesn’t realize I’m working with you currently.” Blade smiled. “But thank you for the concern. I risk my life every day, I have no time to worry about something like that right now. Especially now.” I feel Blade’s strong arm wrap around my shoulders. “Anyways. I ended up bringing her with me. She was only just activated earlier today.”  
“Blade are you crazy? That’s an extremely dangerous thing to do! You’re risking the whole plan!” Des scowls and then sighs, looking to me with hazel eyes that look worn out. Tired and stressed from sleepless nights. “What is your name?”  
I hesitate and look away a little. “X3-54.” I glance at Blade. “What exactly are your plans..?”  
“To rescue as many synths as possible…” She looks down at me, much more serious this time. “And destroy the Institute.” The armored woman beside me adds.  
“But what about your son?” Des asks.  
“He’s running it. I have no chance of ever changing his mind.” I can see tears forming in the corners of her eyes. “They corrupted him…”  
“I-I’m sorry to hear that.” The Railroad leader stutters amidst her shock. “I never thought that would be the answer you find.. I really am sorry.”  
“It’s okay. We have plans to follow though with. I agreed to this after I found out, so obviously it’s not bothering me.” Blade sighed softly. “We have synths to save. Not to mention the entire commonwealth to free of their fear.”  
“You’re right. We must keep going. You’ve been doing a great job, Blade. Keep doing what you’re doing.”  
Without a verbal response, Blade nods and leaves. I look at Des quietly. Blade’s son is the director of the Institute? Then what is her role there? Why would she be willing to make such a sacrifice to end that place? Is it really that bad there?  
“Now then. What did you say your name is?”  
I shake my head a little. “Uh. X3-54.”  
“Alright. Don’t worry about remembering that silly name. You’ll get a real one soon enough. For now, we need to get you out of here.”  
“Where am I supposed to go?”  
“Well first we need to get you out of the Commonwealth. From there you will get a new face, name, and memories.”  
Hesitant and nervous, I rub my arms. “I don’t really like the sound of that…”  
Des seems surprised by my response. “What do you mean? You want to keep your memories of the Institute?” She thinks quietly for a moment. “I will see what I can do. You’re not the first to request such things, but usually we go through with it anyways since they won’t remember anything.”  
“Isn’t that a bit much?”  
“No, no. You want to be free, don’t you? Many are willing to do anything to gain control of their lives.”  
“I don’t want to lose what little I have. I barely know what’s going on, just let me keep the memories I have. I don’t what you guys digging in my head or reprogramming me.”  
“Well I’m not an expert. I’ll send a note with you and the people who actually perform the procedure can talk to you about it. Just know that you might have to go through with it whether you like it or not.”  
“Des, I think you’ve scared her enough now.” Blade says as she walks over with a freshly-sharpened sword in her hand. “I’ll get her on her way. You have plenty of other things to worry about.”  
“You’re right. Thank you for the help, Blade.” Des walks away to another part of the room with dust chalkboards and a small group of people in metal armor.   
“Do you want me to call you by your synth name or would you like to pick some kind of real name?” The blond-haired woman looks down at me and smiles. “Who knows, maybe I’ll tell you my real name.”  
I blink a few times and look away a little. “I can’t think of any right now..”  
“That’s okay. We have plenty of time for you to think of a name.” She slides her sword into it’s holster before offering me her hand. “You ready to go? We have a few stops to make along the way.”  
“I have no idea where we are going, so lead the way.” I set my hand in hers.


	3. The World Upstairs

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Warning:: CONTAINS SPOILERS FOR THE FALLOUT 4 GAME!  
> Disclaimer:: I do not own any original content of the Fallout Franchise! X3-54 is mine though.
> 
> This is a pretty short chapter, I know, but I have some much longer ones coming up for you!

I follow Blade over a rickety bridge, the water below gurgling along its carved path. The rail on my left is intact, but the right half of the bridge is almost entirely gone. I can’t help but feel nervous as the weakened boards groan under our weight. The dirt road ahead of us leads up a gentle hill where a few houses rest. Two turrets and a guard post soon stand between us and the surviving town.  
“General. Glad you’ve made it back safely.” A man greets us at the wooden guard post with a bright smile. His dark hazel eyes matches his coffee bean skin. “Who’s your friend?” He tips his leather cowboy hat up to get a good look at me, sending a stab of fear into my chest.  
“She’s a synth we are freeing. We need some supplies, that’s all, Preston.”  
“Okay, but after that you’ve got another settlement to help.”  
Blade rolls her eyes and sighs. “Which one, Preston?”  
“Somerville Place.”  
“Okay, I’ll stop over there when we are done here.” Dogmeat barks and then leads us down the settlement’s main street. “We’re comin’ boy! We’re comin’!”  
I smile weakly and follow them along the cracked concrete and rotting houses. “So why did he call you General?”  
“I’m leader of the minutemen. That’s just the title I was given.” She stops at a bright yellow house and strolls into the workshop area connected to it where several working areas sit crowded together. At the far end wall is a table covered in gun parts and tools. Right next to it is a tall, yellow crane-like machine that has an almost terrifying suit of armor hanging on it.  
“What’s with the armor..?” I glance over at Blade while she is stuffing random stuff into a cabinet.  
“Oh? That’s my power armor.” She smiles and closes the door. “Military grade paint, motion-assist servos, and the highest quality frame. It’s my pride and joy.”  
“Woah…” I stare at the towering armor, stunned.  
“Now then, let’s get you in some clothes that aren’t so obvious.” The woman smiles and goes to one of the last tables, covered in straps of metal and fabric. “I’ll see what I have here first, otherwise we can find you something at another settlement.” She digs through the stuff stored in the armor area and finds some jeans and a solid red shirt. “This should do for now. Did you want some of my spare armor?”  
“Do you think I’ll need it?” I get a more worried look. “What kind of stuff could I end up fighting?”  
“Well it’s a dangerous world up here. But the risks are worth it, trust me. Other synths wouldn’t be fighting for their freedom if it wasn’t.” She tosses me the grey-blue pants and bold red shirt. “This will do for now. At least you’ll be out of those Institute clothes.” I nod and hold the clothes close to my chest. “The shack next door is mine, you can go change there while I find you a weapon. You want a gun or something other than that?”  
Stuttering, I finally come to a conclusion. “I’ll have to try some different weapons I guess.”  
“Sounds good. I’ll dig around for ya.”  
I nervously walk over to the hand-constructed house next door. When I open the red door I can hear the rumbling of a generator up on the second floor. Lights hang from the metal ceiling, bringing to my attention the furniture in the large space. Blade built this..? There’s no windows in the building so I close the door and just quickly change into the clothes given to me. Luckily the jeans fit, however, the red shirt seems a little big. I spend some time looking around the house. The first floor doesn’t have much. A ripped couch, a bobblehead stand, and a few paintings on the walls. I gently graze the paintings with my fingers. “I have memories.. But I can’t recall them.” I look at my hands, remembering what I did in the Institute. “Yet I can draw. I don’t remember being able to draw before…” I shake my head and walk away from the paintings to look around the second floor. “Maybe there is no before.”  
The second floor contained more of a bedroom setting, a single bed, a desk, and a few dressers. Paintings of kittens hang on the crooked walls. “I wouldn’t have expected pictures of cats from a person nicknamed Blade…” I walk up to the generator in the furthest corner, feeling the warmth radiating off it. “They called me a machine. Yet the people here treat me human.” I sigh and walk towards the stairs again. “What do I believe?” For the first time I notice a mirror hanging in the corner beside the wooden steps. I look into it quietly, observing myself. In the darkness, my eyes glowed a gold-orange color, unlike anything I’ve seen before. My mocha brown hair is long enough to rest on my shoulders, easily reaching my shoulder blades. My pale white skin feels soft to the touch as I place a hand on my cheek. “Synthetic…” I let out a deeper sigh and head downstairs. “I shouldn’t be thinking silly things like this.”  
“X3-54?” I hear Blade’s clear voice from the first room as I enter. “Oh, there you are!” She smiles and holds out her hand. “We should get going. I have a settlement to help and you have some weapons to start trying. Let’s go!”  
“Okay, sounds good. What kind of weapons did you grab?” I take her hand and hold on firmly as she uses the computer on her wrist to find our destination.  
“A Chinese Officer's Sword, some handguns, some larger guns. Oh, and a sledgehammer.” Blade chuckles as a blue light surrounds us. “You’ll see everything when we get to the other settlement.”


	4. Go in Guns blazing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Warning:: CONTAINS SPOILERS FOR THE FALLOUT 4 GAME!  
> Disclaimer:: I do not own any original content of the Fallout Franchise! X3-54 is mine though.

“Oh thank god you’re here! Kids, the Minutemen are here to help us!” The stranger calls happily, calling over his two young children.  
“Ma’am! Are you gonna kill the ghouls?” The short boy asks with a grin, looking up at Blade.  
“Yep. I’ll take care of your little problem for ya!” Blade squats down to his height and ruffles the siblings’ hair. “With the Minutemen on your side you have nothing to fear!”  
“Thank you ma’am!” The sister gives Blade a hug, her brother following her actions.  
With the situation known, I am lead away by the General to a more empty area, away from the lone house and the miniature farm. “We trying weapons now? What about the ghouls? And what are ghouls?” I run after her as she half drags me along the barren landscape.   
“Ghouls are humans that have been exposed to so much radiation they have mutated into monsters. Not all ghouls are dangerous, but the ones that are will kill ya if you’re not careful.” She stops and makes several weapons appear before us using the bulky computer on her arm. “So you need to be able to defend yourself while we finish up this mission.”  
“So ghouls are people, that are no longer people..?” I blink a few times and scan through the various weapons.  
“Well, that depends on your definition of human. There are ghouls out there that still have their minds intact. They still act human. The monster ones are the ones that will eat you.”  
I gulp and get more scared. “Eat me?”  
“I don’t think they can eat metal, you should be safe from that part.” Blade chuckles and picks up the long, duel-sided sword from the ground. “This is a Chinese Sword. Officers of their military and navy would carry them in battle.” She puts the red mahogany handle into my hand then wraps my fingers around it. The smooth wood fits comfortably in my grip with my thumb resting against the solid hilt. “I’m just gonna have you take a few swings at one of these trees. They’re dying anyways, so I’m not worried about you cutting them down.”  
I blink a few times and move the sword in my hand to where I’m more comfortable swinging it. “So I just, swing it?”  
Blade grabs my arm and slowly glides my arm side to side and then up and down. “Those are the basic swings, but you can basically move it any way you like as long as you don’t hit yourself or me.” She chuckles and steps back. “Now hack down that tree!”  
I move towards the tree and give the thin trunk a few side to side swings, but it doesn’t seem like I am strong enough to dig into the bark. I make a few cuts in the wood, but the blade doesn’t cause any major damage. “Maybe melee weapons aren’t for me…”  
“Well that takes care of those. Probably the heavy guns too.” Over five of the weapons on the dust ground vanish, one by one. “I’m thinking you should have a more powerful gun however, so I’m going to scrap the weaker weapons.” The smaller guns vanish, leaving a few rifles and shotguns. “Let’s go to a sawed-off shotgun. It’s lightweight, but packs a solid punch.” She picks up the double-barrelled weapon and gives it to me. “Don’t point it at a person unless you’re okay with shooting them. So shoot the tree before it eats you.”  
I pause and give her a dumbfounded look. “The tree is going to eat me?”  
Blade can’t help but to laugh at my question. “No, but the ghouls we are gonna fight will!”  
“R-right!” I point the gun at the dying tree and pull the trigger only to nearly drop the weapon when it kicks back. I tighten my grip and sigh as the silence of the land crawls back in after the echoing gunshot. The tree has a deep wound in it, but it doesn’t bleed. “Woah.”  
“Perfect shot.” Blade hits my back and grins. “After some practice you’ll get the hang of it. And the best practice is a real fight!” Her gloved hand grabs my arm and she sends us transporting to the underground metro tunnels where the ghouls are known to thrive.

I open my eyes to a descending trail of train tracks. The gaping entrance to the interior of the building is blocked off, but I can see a maintenance door off to the side that could possibly be open. “Alright. Keep your eyes peeled for any movement. And don’t trust the corpses. Here’s your ammunition, don’t waste it all.” Blade puts a box of bullets in my hands. “Ready for a fight?”  
“Yes. I think I am.” I nod eagerly and put the ammunition in my pockets. “I want to help as much as I can.”  
“That’s certainly honorable, umm…” Blade pauses and gives me a confused look. “Did you want a name that isn’t your synth code?”  
“X3-54?” I blink a few times and begin stuttering.  
“Hey,” Blade snaps me out of my miniature panic. “Don’t worry about it right now. We have some time before you need to come up with any name. Just think of a nickname or something for now. I just want to call you something other than a random code.”  
“Well you’re the only one who will call me by that nickname, so how about you make it up?”  
“Maybe you’re right. How about Lina?”  
I pause and smile softly. “I actually kinda like that. To be honest I was expecting something weird.”  
“Like what?” Blade smirks a little. “Like Blade?”  
“Well, no, I didn’t mean anything about your name!”  
“Don’t worry, I didn’t come up with Blade. That was Des and Glory.” She chuckles and runs up to the blue door, completely ignoring the ‘DO NOT ENTER’ sign nailed onto it as she kicks it wide open. “Now let’s get this party started, Lina!” She glides the clean sword out of the holster on her waist and sprints down the dim tunnels, leaving me to chase after her.  
“Well wait for me!” I sprint down the shattered concrete, chasing after her heavy boot stomping. “Do you know where you’re going?”  
“Yep! Just keep up with me!” Blade shouts back, her hysterical voice bouncing repeated off the walls. “And keep an eye out for danger!”  
“It’s hard to watch my surroundings when I’m running as fast as possible!”  
“I guess you have a point.” She lets out a sigh, slowing her sprint to more of a light jog. “Let’s just stroll then. They’ll know we’re here anyways.”   
“Should I be scared?”  
“Well, this is your first time fighting anything so perhaps you should be worried.”  
“Worried about what?”  
“Getting eaten.” Blade lets out a laugh and turns to me. “Don’t worry about them. Ya have a weapon, don’t ya? Just kill’em before they kill you!”  
“I mean… We could just not walk into their home guns blazing.”  
“But that would be no fun! Besides, you’re the only one with a gun!”   
I blink a few times and sigh softly. “You know what I mean, Blade… Is killing them really necessary for this mission? There must be some other way to convince them not to attack the settlement, right?”  
“Nope. It’s the only way. If we don’t kill them now, the settlement will only be in more danger. The longer this problem continues, the worse the outcome could be.”  
“Can we at least try talking to them?”  
“That’s not an option either. Radiation does a lot of damage to the brain of people. These people still function, but are no longer physically able to contemplate things like conversations and compromise. I’m afraid talking to them will only make them want to eat you more.”  
“So there’s no hope of saving them?”  
“I’m afraid a naive idea like that cannot survive in this wasteland.” Blade sighs softly to herself. “I’m sorry you’re stuck in a place like this, however, that’s just the way it runs here. Perhaps you’ll find a better place to call home after you’ve escaped.” Her dry, pink lips curve into a smile, beaming with genuine kindness.   
She’s the only person I’ve ever felt radiated any form of honest emotions, as many of my other encounters merely lied or remained dull. Many people just seem so numb after surviving in this vast emptiness for so long.  
“If you say so.”


End file.
